Kitchen Dilema

OntarioMom6November 20, 2012

I have been lurking on this site for the past year and half when I was looking for a solution to my kitchen color mistake. I finally had the opportunity to design my dream kitchen. I looked at hundreds of kitchens. I chose antique white cabinets with antique brown granite. My house is a craftsman home with tradition red brick accents. All the trims are white. I spent what is a fortune to my family on this kitchen. The problem is all day long my cabinets look yellow. I hate it. Love my layout, appliances, tile, and granite but hate the yellow in my cupboards. I tried adding accents, changing the lighting and living with it.

My cabinets are worth about 30k alone. I cannot in this lifetime afford to replace them. I am worried about in a couple years I am going to be retired and looking at them all day. I am thinking of painting them. I have been looking getting a professional lacquer job. The doors go offsite and a painter comes in and does all the trim. What should I know about painting cabinets? Will the non-factory finish make my house look cheaper? It is the only solution I can think of.

The problem is that in the natural day light the cabinets look really yellow and stands out to the crisp white trim. The cabinets can be seen from both the dining room and family room. I can make the kitchen to appear more white with light bulbs in the evening. Part of the problem is I don't like yellow so the undertone bothers me.

You are not alone. I have the same issue. I've waited a year and still don't like the color of my island and pantry cabinet. I'm scared to ask my cabinet maker if anything can be done as it is a very dark color. I repainted the kitchen walls 3x and really there is nothing to be done about the lighting.

One idea is to glaze my cabinets but i'm not sure that would help and like you i worry it might just make it worse. Another idea is to change the island countertop to white color to tone the whole thing down. Not sure you have considered either of these. If i had to again i would have painted all the cabinets the same fairly neutral color.

I'm so sorry you don't love your new cabinets! I really like a cabinet color that differentiates itself from the trim, adding more depth an additional layer to the room. and I like something with a little more character than 'just white.' But that's my opinion and it's your house.

There were a couple things in my kitchen that turned out differently than I envisioned and after time I was able to appreciate the different look or even see it as a blessing in disguise. Other things just need to be changed. If you can afford the refinishing, and it's done well, I don't think it should cheapen your kitchen. A lot of us here have other than factory painted cabinets, including me. In fact, after 5 yrs, I still don't like the shade of the cabinets in my range area and will have my Dh repaint them.

Is it possible you''re trying accessories that fight with and augment the yellow tone instead of working with it to tone it down? Posting pics here or on the home decorating forum might result in some other tips before you undertake the hassle and expense of painting. Just a suggestion because I know how miserable comiserating and 2nd guessing can be, especially when you spent a lot and feel disappointed. Best wishes.

I am computer challenged but I will try to post pictures. There is a reason I lurk. I do not have any creamy undertones in the house. Maybe I will try an area rug in the dinning room or maybe paint the family room walls a creamy color. I can always change the back if I don't like the color. It is reassuring that others have experienced a similar thing and have grown to love it. My husband and children just say it looks fine but it still bugs me.